organized | X204 Project

Cover Letters and Thank You Letters and Interviews, OH MY!

March 28, 2019 at 3:45 pm (career, communication, Dream Job, Effective Communication, job, Job Hunting, Job Interviews)
Tags: business, Cover Letter, Interview, job, organized, Thank You Letter

Are you looking for the real reason to use cover letters and send thank you letters? Look no further!

What is the real reason we use cover letters and thank you letters? Well, let me tell you. It definitely has nothing to do with lions and tigers and bears! I have a few good reasons you will want to use a cover letter and follow-up with a thank you letter.

Why a Cover Letter?

To show the employer how AWESOME you are
And to make them FLIP THE PAGE to your resume
This gives you a better chance to get the interview

There are a couple of things to be aware of though. When you’re writing your cover letter be sure not to brag but tell the employer how you can benefit the company. If you’re applying to a few different places, then be sure to change some of your wording in your cover letter for each company. Employers DO NOT have time to read pages about how great you are. It’s important to keep it short and sweet and to the point.

Cover Letter Info

Looking for what goes into a cover letter? – More Info
Looking for Templates? – I found some.

Interview

Now, if everything goes right you’ll get the interview!

Why Send a Thank You Letter?

This is for after the interview.
It shows you have good manners, of course!
This is your last chance to leave a positive impression AND your last chance to get your name in front of them.
Did you forget to mention something in your interview? Thank you letters are the perfect chance to say it!

Thank You Letter Info

Wondering what exactly you should say? Here you go.
Looking for templates? Look no further.
Want to send a thank you email instead? Boom.

IMPORTANT

If where you’re applying to specifically asks that you don’t add a cover letter, then don’t. Not following instructions can cause you not to get the interview. So, make sure you know what the employer wants!

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU

I hope this helps anyone wondering why it’s important to use cover letters and thank you letters. Please let me know what you think! Best of luck to your future endeavors.

Emily Brugh – Business Major @ IUPUC

What Do Your Walls Say About You?

June 28, 2012 at 11:49 am (Effective Communication)
Tags: art, attorney, award, business, chaos, clean, clutter, college, communicate, communication, Computer, confidence, conflict, controll, degree, dependable, desk, diploma, display, efficiency, environment, file, honor, job, market, merit, message, neat, office, opportunity, organized, position, professional, space, tidy, walls, Work

Stop what you’re doing right now and look. Look at the walls in your office if you have one. Scan the top of your desk, your file cabinets, side tables, computer stations, ect.

If this person were an attorney, would you trust him with your case?

Look with fresh eyes as if it were someone else’s office.

What do you see? Controlled chaos?

What does it say about you? Neat? Disorganized? Unproductive? A potential fire hazard in the making?

Business professionals should be use to thinking about their appearance by now. Every wise manager knows that, on the job, you dress for the position you want, not the one you have. But how often do those same people think about what message their surroundings are saying to others?

Your work environment maybe be your happy place on the job, but the message it sends to others should be consistent with the one you’re trying to send through your appearance, your skills, your conversations, etc.

Impressive!

Do they clash? Or do they support each other?

In today’s competitive market, don’t overlook this crucial piece of the puzzle. When it comes to your workspace, consider these items:

– Does your workspace convey efficiency and organization? Or are your walls lost opportunities to sell yourself instead?

– Is your college degree (should you have one or more) prominently displayed on the walls? If not, get it up there. If you don’t have walls or can’t hang personal items, invest in a small table-top easel and place it on a filing cabinet or side table.

– Do you have any awards, merits or other honors that are frame worthy and display friendly? If so, put them out there too, but avoid clutter. The idea is, if you have professional designations to brag about, do so in a tasteful manner.

Now that’s more like it!

– Is your desktop some place where pieces of paper go to die? If so, now is the time to get organized. Raid the supply cabinet for hanging file folders, develop a system, then use it.

– But don’t wipe the slate completely clean! A wide open expanse of clean desk top may be nirvana to neat freaks but to others it may say this person doesn’t have enough to do.

The point is, bring order to the chaos, promote your accomplishments and send a message that you’re organized and dependable. If it looks and sounds like you know what you’re doing, people usually will believe you.

– Robin Fritz, Adjunct Lecturer, Division of Business, Indiana University – Columbus

X204 Project